Social whirl!
We've had our most social week in Australia so far, I think, and it's been fun and exhausting in equal measure.
On Sunday Willis and his partner Shannon and son Van came round for dinner and we didn't get to bed until about 1am. Van had fallen asleep on the sofa, and I think Shannon was tired and would have liked to go to bed at about 10:30 but Willis was on a conversational roll and they didn't leave until 12:30am...
On Wednesday we had Jake and Ann Madden and their four children over for an afternoon/evening drink that lasted several hours. They have bought a block of land just over a ridge from Lot 31 North Boambee Road, the entrance to which will be a few hundred metres before ours. They've got a driveway now but haven't started building yet and I imagine both families will be moving in at about the same time, in the first months of next year. As you can imagine, we wanted to meet them because they will be close neighbours and we would all like to have a thriving community out there. We liked them, and the drinks went well. They'll have lots of sporty things like a basket ball hoop, somewhere to ride a bike and stuff, and we'll have a pool, so I have a little day dream about all the children being able to wander between our house and their house, playing together. We'll see what happens! But it's definitely nice to feel that we have the opportunity to get to know people who will be living near to us - for me it makes the idea of living 1.4 kilometres up a dirt track a potentially less isolating experience.
On Thursday Gary and Nimmi visited us en route to Sydney and stayed for lunch. It was slightly strange seeing them over here, but fun! Our first Bristol friends to be able to visit. They were both on good form and we had a very pleasant lunch out on the verandah.
On Friday I went to Gallery 37's latest exhibition opening night with Willis, and then Sammy and Duncan came over for dinner and we didn't get to bed until 1am again. The house diagonally across from us at the back had a loud party, but it actually finished before 11pm, I think, so it didn't disturb us too much although you could hear every word of the music from inside our place with the doors shut.
Yesterday we had I left Michael in bed in the morning and went out shopping with Ella, and as we drove back to Malibu Drive Julie Jones and her daughter Emily were just pulling out of the road, clearly having just been in to see if we were home, so they turned round, followed us in and stayed for a cuppa and a chat. Emily and Ella don't play that brilliantly together, but they managed better this time and we had a good afternoon. Then at 5:30 Clinton and Tracie, from over the road, came round for a drink and stayed until 9:30pm. We've chatted to them for six months when passing each other in our cars or collecting the post at the end of our drive, but this was our first social engagement and it was fun too. But by the end I was dead on my feet, and I cheated and fed Ella fish fingers before putting her to bed. All we wanted to do was to go to bed as well, but the house at the back had started party #2 with louder, thumpier music and there wasn't much chance of sleep... We gave them until 11:30pm, having both gone downstairs to do some work, but in the end I had enough and phoned the police. Three quarters of an hour later the music stopped in its tracks and we were able to go to bed. Thank you to the helpful man who answered the phone at the police station!
Unfortunately for us, Ella woke us at 02:30 complaining of itchy insect bites, and then woke us again at 08:10 this morning by getting up and turning the TV on loud... We could both have done with some more sleep but clearly it wasn't to be, so in the end we got up. And at 11:00 we met Sammie, Duncan and their son Thomas at the beach/barbeque at Korora Reserve and had baked beans, sausages, eggs, fried onions and mushrooms for brunch. Very civilised! I do like it there: it's not crowded, the facilities are good (free electric barbeques, covered benches, a tap, bins and a good children's play area, plus the beach next door) and it's very nice eating your breakfast roll in the open air with sunshine and the parrots flying around.
On Sunday Willis and his partner Shannon and son Van came round for dinner and we didn't get to bed until about 1am. Van had fallen asleep on the sofa, and I think Shannon was tired and would have liked to go to bed at about 10:30 but Willis was on a conversational roll and they didn't leave until 12:30am...
On Wednesday we had Jake and Ann Madden and their four children over for an afternoon/evening drink that lasted several hours. They have bought a block of land just over a ridge from Lot 31 North Boambee Road, the entrance to which will be a few hundred metres before ours. They've got a driveway now but haven't started building yet and I imagine both families will be moving in at about the same time, in the first months of next year. As you can imagine, we wanted to meet them because they will be close neighbours and we would all like to have a thriving community out there. We liked them, and the drinks went well. They'll have lots of sporty things like a basket ball hoop, somewhere to ride a bike and stuff, and we'll have a pool, so I have a little day dream about all the children being able to wander between our house and their house, playing together. We'll see what happens! But it's definitely nice to feel that we have the opportunity to get to know people who will be living near to us - for me it makes the idea of living 1.4 kilometres up a dirt track a potentially less isolating experience.
On Thursday Gary and Nimmi visited us en route to Sydney and stayed for lunch. It was slightly strange seeing them over here, but fun! Our first Bristol friends to be able to visit. They were both on good form and we had a very pleasant lunch out on the verandah.
On Friday I went to Gallery 37's latest exhibition opening night with Willis, and then Sammy and Duncan came over for dinner and we didn't get to bed until 1am again. The house diagonally across from us at the back had a loud party, but it actually finished before 11pm, I think, so it didn't disturb us too much although you could hear every word of the music from inside our place with the doors shut.
Yesterday we had I left Michael in bed in the morning and went out shopping with Ella, and as we drove back to Malibu Drive Julie Jones and her daughter Emily were just pulling out of the road, clearly having just been in to see if we were home, so they turned round, followed us in and stayed for a cuppa and a chat. Emily and Ella don't play that brilliantly together, but they managed better this time and we had a good afternoon. Then at 5:30 Clinton and Tracie, from over the road, came round for a drink and stayed until 9:30pm. We've chatted to them for six months when passing each other in our cars or collecting the post at the end of our drive, but this was our first social engagement and it was fun too. But by the end I was dead on my feet, and I cheated and fed Ella fish fingers before putting her to bed. All we wanted to do was to go to bed as well, but the house at the back had started party #2 with louder, thumpier music and there wasn't much chance of sleep... We gave them until 11:30pm, having both gone downstairs to do some work, but in the end I had enough and phoned the police. Three quarters of an hour later the music stopped in its tracks and we were able to go to bed. Thank you to the helpful man who answered the phone at the police station!
Unfortunately for us, Ella woke us at 02:30 complaining of itchy insect bites, and then woke us again at 08:10 this morning by getting up and turning the TV on loud... We could both have done with some more sleep but clearly it wasn't to be, so in the end we got up. And at 11:00 we met Sammie, Duncan and their son Thomas at the beach/barbeque at Korora Reserve and had baked beans, sausages, eggs, fried onions and mushrooms for brunch. Very civilised! I do like it there: it's not crowded, the facilities are good (free electric barbeques, covered benches, a tap, bins and a good children's play area, plus the beach next door) and it's very nice eating your breakfast roll in the open air with sunshine and the parrots flying around.
Neither Michael nor I has managed to do much work over the last few days: we've been too busy socialising, or recovering from the ensuing lack of sleep (no, we haven't over-indulged on the alcohol front!), and now we've got to get our heads down because we're off for a few days from Tuesday. I'd better get back to work!
posted by Sara Bowen at 4:56 am
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